Newly christened District Attorney Mike Hestrin, A.K.A. Superman, Clark Kent (also the underground A.K.A. name of “Hestrone”, because he is the man), layed out his plan for change with reference to rebuilding the DA’s office, as he was quoted as saying, “Brick by painful brick.” We see a new turn of events whereby Hestrin will take the bull by the horns and remold the DA’s office in what many have said is in needed change. Change in the sense that makes sense. He states that now only will he be tough on crime, but he plans to concentrate on crime prevention. Now what does that mean?

Hestrin is in charge of approximately 250 lawyers and 100 investigators. He has an new expectation for his staff to volunteer their time in order to be more closely connected to the community. Therefore he expects his lawyers and investigators to volunteer their time and expertise to community programs. Not as a punishment, but as I see it, extending their responsibilities as DA’s etc. to actually resolving and mitigating the crime problem once and individual is released from prison. By this, Hestrin’s intention is to prevent recidivism. This would be done by keeping individuals from going back to their communities and associating with criminal elements. If they associate with positive and constructive individual, he believes this would help individuals not going back to a life of crime. The way I see it is that if you want to truly lower crime rates you have to have a 360 degree plan. Hestrin is making such an attempt.

He is not only asking his staff to volunteer their time to community programs, but to make the attempt to start new community programs. So he is asking not only to prosecute, but go a step forward to connect to the community. One of the questions he would ask in the promotion process would be “what have you done for the community to decrease crime.” This is takes the DA’s office to a different level and bring it full circle, a 360 degree plan. DA’s and investigators will not only be responsible for fighting crime, but finding solutions to decrease crime, and most importantly, crime due to recidivism.

FORMER BB&K ATTORNEY LETITIA PEPPER SENDS EMAIL JANUARY 16TH TO CITY OF RIVERSIDE DEMANDING THAT THE CITY OF RIVERSIDE COMPLY WITH THE RALPH M. BROWN ACT PROVISIONS ABOUT ASSIGNING ISSUES TO THE CONSENT CALENDER.. Pepper states that the method the City has adopted for assigning issues to the consent calender violates the Ralph M. Brown Act provisions.

Pepper therefore demands on behalf of all residents of the City of Riverside, that: (1) the contents of all future Consent Calendars for City Council meetings be set, as required by law, at an open, public City Council meeting,; (2) that such Consent Calendar be set by the City Council as a whole, rather than by the Mayor and the City Manager and Assistant City Manager; (3) that the public be given the appropriate opportunity to make public comments objecting to an item being placed on the Consent Calendar before the City Council votes on the make-up of such calendar.

CLICK ON IMAGE TO VIEW FULL EMAIL

UPDATE: On January 18th, Attorney Pepper sent out an addendum letter to her first letter, regarding the demand that the City comply with the Ralp M. Brown Act provisions about assigning issues to the consent calender. Within this letter Pepper makes the connection that she believes that their is circumstantial evidence that prior Council member Don Betro was involved in a broad based conspiracy, along with other former elects and city executives such as City Attorney Gregory Priamos, Mayor Loveridge, City Manager Brad Hudson, CFO Paul Sundeen and Assistant City Manager Michael Beck, to pillage the City’s, or taxpayers finances.

CLICK ON IMAGE TO VIEW FULL LETTER

IS THE GREATER RIVERSIDE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MAKING MONEY ON A PUBLIC EVENT? It has been brought to TMC’s attention that the yearly public event known as the Annual State of the City, may be just a campaign fund raising event, which appears to tell the public to not come! This should be advertised as a free even since it is a public event. Why has it appeared to be taken over by a non-profit, the Greater Riverside Chamber of Commerce? They are asking that there is a charge of $50.00 per ticket, there is nothing to state that the public can come or attain free tickets. The truth of the matter is that the Chamber has a total of 650 tickets, 50 of those are free general public tickets and 600 are being sold

It also appears that Public Utilities is paying for advertisement on this site. There was controversy last year when $500,000.00 of taxpayer monies was to be set aside to the Chamber to coordinate the Keep Riverside Clean and Beautiful Program, without the bidding process. TMC wants the same deal, we will gladly advertise Public Utilities for $24,999.00 right under the maximum amount Public Utilities Manager Girish Balachandran can cut a check for.

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE (figure one)

It appears that the taxpayer funds the Chamber, even through Public Utilities, but the public is not even publicly invited to this event. Is this what the Chamber has done a ruse or front for raising campaign funds for their “go along get along” candidates? To be fair the PE did mention their would be a limited number of “free seats available.” Really now, doesn’t that just want to make the public not want to go or even attempt to compete for these limited number of free seats?

Again questions arise if employees of the City, as former Public Utility General Manager Dave Wright, should be on the Chamber board. Curently, Riverside Public Utilities General Manager Girish Balachandran, is on the board of the Greater Riverside Chamber of Commerce, and Taxpayer monies are cut from this General Manager to the Chamber as seen in this advertisement (figure one). Unbelievable… Conflict of Interest, or Culture of Corruption?

Incidentally, Cindy Roth is the CFO/President of the Chamber who’s husband Richard D. Roth is now Senator for the State of California, and has been a recipient of taxpayer monies for doing the City’s dirty work, as many in the community have said, though are afraid to state their opinion for fear of retaliation by the City Department Agencies or even RPD. Sorry folks, I’m only the messenger.. But many are told when calling the Chamber that the limited number of free seat are for the “General Public” which must be seated in the back of the event. I say, the “Elite Public” can pay for a taxpayer event, but the rest, “General Public” sit in the back of the bus.. Quite fitting as January 19th is Martin Luther Kings Birthday.

DON’T WE HAVE A STATUE OF MARTIN LUTHER KING IN FRONT OF RIVERSIDE HALL?

The question is why would anyone want to do business or even live in the City of Riverside when they don’t even feel safe by the Police Department or even that they can make a living under the duress of many rules and regulation by the City which makes it difficult to doing real business.

Opps, Jeff Stone not in the picture anymore, he took his bat to the Senate.

TMC, RATED RIVERSIDE’S MOST “OFFENSIVE,” “INAPPROPRIATE,” “HURTFUL,” “MEAN SPIRITED,” “DISTASTEFUL,” “EMBARRASSING,” HORIFFIC,” “SLANDEROUS” AND MEZZSPELLED, “MISSPELLED” AND “OPINIONATED” BLOG SITE! TEMPORARILY BLOCKED BY THE CITY OF RIVERSIDE AT PUBLIC ACCESS SITES WITHIN THE CITY, THEN UNBLOCKED. I GUESS YOU CANNOT DO THAT ACCORDING TO THE ACLU. RATED ONETWO ONE STAR OUT OF FIVE IN TERMS OF COMMUNITY APPROVAL RATINGS.. TMC IS NOW EXCLUSIVLY EXCLUSIVELY ON FILE WITH THE COUNTY OF RIVERSIDE’S DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE (WE BELIEVE THIS WILL END SOON, SINCE THE FOCUS IS NOW ON THE IMPROPRIETIES OF MR. “Z”, WE TRIED TO TELL YOU, BUT NOBODY LISTENED), AND DON’T FORGET WE ARE PROSSIBLY POSSIBLY ON FILE WITH THE CITY OF RIVERSIDE’S POTENTIAL SLAPP SUIT LIST… A STRATEGIC LEGAL MANEUVER THAT CAN BE DONE ONLY IN RIVERSIDE WITHOUT A CONTRACT… AGAIN, THANK-YOU COMMUNITY OF RIVERSIDE AND THE CITY OF RIVERSIDE EMPLOYEE’S FOR YOUR SUPPORT! COMMENTS ALWAYS WELCOMED, ESPECIALLY SPELL CHECKERS! WE JUST CAN’T SPELL! EMAIL ANONYMOUSLY WITH YOUR DIRT BY CONTACTING US AT: THIRTYMILESCORRUPTION@HOTMAIL.COM

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What I find interesting is that the Annual State of the City event is at night. Now, in the Annual State of the City in Escondido, their event is in the morning and is co-sponsored by their chamber:

The annual State of the City address will take place Wednesday, February 25, 2015 at the California Center for the Arts.

The event is co-sponsored by the Escondido Chamber of Commerce and will be begin with an optional breakfast at 7:30 a.m. following by the program at 8:00 a.m. The program will include awards to outstanding community volunteers, remarks by members of the City Council and will conclude with the Mayor’s address.http://www.escondido.org/state-of-the-city-address.aspx

What is interesting is anyone attending the program can do so at no cost if he or she are not eating breakfast. Of course, Riverside doesn’t provide that an opt out of food. And yes, I would be curious to know where the money is going to that is collected for this event by the Riverside Chamber. Otherwise the event sounds like a business mixer event and not a state of the city event since according to the flyer that attendees and sponsors will get the opportunity to connect with local public officials and city department heads.

Thanks Justice League for your comment, we our attempting to find just that answer of where the money goes in the City of Riverside event. We found that 600 seats are available for purchase at $50 a pop and 50 free seats were set aside for, as the Chamber stated, for the “general public.” Let’s not take this sitting down, who paid for the Convention Center where the State of the City will be held? You the taxpayer. We just gave $500,000.00 over three years to the Chamber, I believe we taxpayers paid are dues for a public event.. We find this appalling, because the event is becoming more like a campaign fundraiser for the elite public. My resolution is this, the public event at the Convention Center is free to all the public at a first serve first come basis. If the Chamber wishes to have some sort of campaign fund raiser event for a $50 entry fee, they do it after the State of City.